Bruce Ungar/contributed photo
Scherman, of Stuart, bagged this 23-pound Osceola gobbler last spring while hunting in northern Okeechobee County with Ungar.

Dick Scherman never will forget his first Osceola turkey.

As the spring turkey hunting season in Florida gets under way in the coming weeks, hunters who enjoy a true test of their skills will be heading into the pine trees and palmettos.

The Osceola turkey, an often elusive target, is considered by many hunters to be the most challenging quarry inhabiting the state’s flatwoods. It has keen eyesight, sharp hearing, an ability to use its habitat for protection and surprising speed when it wants to escape. Its instinct to spook easily has helped it survive an environment with many potential predators.

The bird has a reputation among its fans for requiring attention to details for those hoping for hunting success. Hunters must choose the right clothing, remain motionless and silent, and deliver well-practiced calls to draw a trophy tom close enough for a shot.

As with many hunters, Scherman, of Stuart, hunted for three seasons before he bagged his first bird last year — north of Okeechobee — with hunting partner Bruce Ungar, also of Stuart. Scherman plans to pursue his second Osceola this spring.

Last year’s trip was rewarding, but Scherman said it was an adventure unlike any other he had ever undertaken.

“What made it really interesting was Bruce and I, and the two others who were with us, had to ride bikes about three miles through a cow pasture while carrying about 20 pounds of gear and my shotgun on my back,” said Scherman, 71. “I’m not exactly used to that, so I can tell you my rear-end was pretty sore.”

Scherman was the only one of the four hunters who bagged a bird that day. And the way the scenario unfolded, he knew it was meant to happen.

“I was in a cypress hammock with my back against a tree, calling on occasion when a big tom walked up behind me approaching my decoys,” explained Scherman.

He knew the slightest movement would spook the big bird, so he had to let it walk by him before he could even raise his gun. That showed incredible restraint for a hunter whose adrenaline is screaming into his veins.

“The bird stopped, turned and started walking back the way he came,” said Scherman. “It walked past a palmetto, and I was able to wait and hit it when it came clear. I’d love to say I dropped it at 70 yards, but it was more like 15.”

Scherman said the bird was a true trophy, weighing more than 23 pounds with a 10-inch beard and a ¾-inch spur. He cleaned it and smoked it, and shared it with friends and family.

“I’ve hunted my whole life, being from Minnesota, and never really gave much thought to a turkey grand slam (the four subspecies of wild turkeys in the United States),” he said. “But now I’ve shot an Osceola, an Eastern and a Merriam’s, so maybe I’ll go to Texas one day and find a Rio Grande.”

Garrett Williamson, 13, of Vero Beach, only recently has begun his hunting adventures, but he would like to one day achieve the turkey grand slam.

Last year, Garrett and his brother, Ryder, 11, students at Storm Grove Middle School, each bagged their first Osceolas while hunting on a private ranch in western Indian River County.

Garrett sheepishly admitted his first had more to do with luck than skill.

“We had just walked into the orange grove about five minutes earlier and we heard a turkey call,” he said. “Suddenly, the bird walked out and I shot him.”

Garrett already had pursued turkeys for two seasons before he bagged his first. During spring break, he and his brother will travel with their dad, Brian Williamson, to Georgia for the second year to see if the boys can get their first Easterns. Garrett is working on his calls, but, for now, he is content to let his dad call the birds in.

“When you are turkey hunting, not one thing can be out of place,” Garrett said. “You have to be in the right spot, you have to be really well hidden and you have to be stealthy and lucky.”